Sewing-machine attachment for folding and guiding strips of fabric



Nov. 3', 1925. Y .l 1,560,219

. K. E. CUNNINGHAM SEWING' MACHINE ATTACHMENT FOR FOLDING An summen STRIPS 0F FABRIC Filed 'June 28,.,19'22 Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KATHERINE E. CUNNINGHAM, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGNon 'ro THE H. W; GossARD Co., or CHrcAeo, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

SEWING-MACHINE ATTACHMENT FOR FOLDING AND GUIDING- STRIPS Ol? FABRIC.

Application led June 28, 1922. Serial No. 571,469.`

T all whom.- Ait may concern:

Be it known that l, KATHERINE E. CUN- NiNeimnr. a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain neuY and useful improvements in Sewing Machine Attachments `tor Folding and Guiding Strips of Fabric, ot which the followi is a specification.

invention relates to an attachment intend-ed to he used with sewing machines of either the single needle or two needle type, and is designed to provide for the insertion of an elastic tape in a tubular sheath 'formed ot' a .strip oi' net or gauze, suoli as is used in the n'iauui'acture of ladies Wear to .torna a shirred edge upon lace or netted garments, or lupon apparel or other articles ot thin material ot any kind which it is desired to construct in such manner. The object of my invention is the provision of a simple and ctiicient attachment by means of which the ganz/.c strip 'from which the sheath is formed irill be folded as it is fed to the sewing machine, and the tape fed between the folds, so that the completed strip of sheathed tape ivill be rapidly and continuously produced. My invention resides in the con struction and arrangement of the different parijs and members ot the device which I.

have invented i'or the purpose ot' accomplishing the results mentioned, the essential elements thereoiA being more particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Y

ln the drawing, Figure l is a plan view ot a sewing machine lo which my novel attachment is shown applied; `Fig. 2 is a perspective vieu' ot the attachment, detached; Figs. and it are cross sections of the device on planes indicated by the dotted lines l 2l and 1l-4 respectively oit' Fig. 2, and Fig, is a plan vier..v ol the completed Lc red strip.

he saine reference characters indicate the same parts in all the rieures of the drawing.

lhe guide members oi my novel attach.- nient are secured lo a base plate l arranged to be clanjiped by a clamping screw to the hed plate oi" the machine to hold the device in proper Working relation to the sewing Vmechanisint as is usualin hemmers and other attachments designed for more or less sinnlar purposes. Rlgidly mounted upon the ibase plate is the tapered guide scroll?. which is arranged to told the strip of net as it passes through it to the sewing mechanism.

At its receiving end the scroll 2 is formed with guide rolls B which are inclined towards each other and ct upon the edges oit the strip to fold them inwardly over the edges ot'. recurved inner extensions 4 of such flanges. A plate securedto the extensions l and to a cross strip 6 at the rear ofthe attachment and having its inner face adjacent and parallel with the guide scroll along its central zone serves to confine the center portion of the strip of lmaterial.` smoothly in place as the edges are being turnedFrom the ends VoiI the extensions 4 the strip passes. rearwardly between the inner face of the scroll 2 and cross band '7, the folded edges being confined between inturned` marginal.

'fi-anges 8 and the tapered rear portion ot' the scroll and its flanges curve into approximate parallelism at the rear end of the device so that the strip emerges at the nose 9 doubled along its center line and with its edge folds in vertical alignment.

A tape-guide 10 is secured to the cross band 7 before mentioned, and to an intermediate cross band 11 and a rear cross band l2 at the nozzle which is parallel with the rear end of the scroll 2. As is obvious, hoivever, a. continuous sheet of metal arranged to lie in the positions occupied by the flanges 8 and cross bands 7, 11 and 12 parallel with the rear portion of the scroll Q4 and along its central zone7 might be employed for the purpose of smoothly guiding and conlining the strip ot net passing under such parts. The rear end of the tape guide is arranged to deliver the tape equidistant between the needles, and the proportions and adjustment of.

the parts is such that the tivo lines of stitchprovide at the doubled edge of the strip Ytormed by its central told a tivo-ply margin which may be arranged at the edge of the garment to which it is applied to torni a neat finish. The tape is more narrovvthan the doubled strip of net., and preferably the tape is delivered nearer' to the folded edges ofthe strip than its doubled edge (that is, the edge `formed by doubling it on its center line) whereby a relatively wide marginal section outside the line of stitching on that side Will be formed. lt Will bennderstood that the completed strip is searedsmoothly along its olded-in margin to theA edge of the garment or article to Whiohit is to be lil applied, and the attached sheath and adjacent portion to the garment gathered. as desired by slipping the sheath upon thetape into pleats or folds, so that when the ends of the tape` are secured to the sheath or a portion of the garment an elastic shirred edge will be formed.

It is obvious that if desired the line of stitching along the doubled edgeat the center fold of the center fold strip may be omitted, in which case a single needle sewing machine may be used. The particular construction ofthe stitching mechanism and other partstfof the sewing machine is of course wholly immaterial, other than that proper provision must be made for securing theattachment to the machine in proper working relation to its sewing and feeding mechanisms.

I claim: v

l. An `attachment of the character described for two-needle sewing machines and comprising guide members arranged to initially form-edge folds in a strip off-fabric passing through the attachment7 guide members arranged to receive the strip thus folded and further fold it along a central line to bring the edge folds intosupenpositicu, and a tape guide arranged to deliver a strandl of relatively narrow tape between the sides of the doubled strip, said attachmentbeing arranged to deliver'the tape between said needles, whereby marginal sections. of the stripoutsidethelines of stitching will be formed at opposite sides of the tape.

2. An attaclnnent of the character described for two-needle sewing machines and comprising guide members arranged to initially form edge folds in a strip of fabric passing through the attachment, guide members arranged to receive the strip thus folded and further fold it along a central line to bring the edge folds into super-position, and a tape guide arranged to deliver a strand o`f relatively narrow tape between the sides of the double-d strip, nearer to the kfolded edges than tothe doubled edge, said attachment being arranged to deliver the tape between said needles, whereby at the doubled edge of the strip a relatively wide .marginal section outside the line of stitching on that side will be formed.

KATHERINE E, CUN NIN GHAM. 

